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Early bird

Sgmailman
Explorer C

Furious beyond words!!!   I have flown Southwest for years but never again.  My husband has a blood disorder so I purchase early bird so that we may hopefully get exit row seating.   I am ready to go five minutes before the time of check in.    This trip we have been in the B group 53 and 54.   What is the purpose of Early Bird.   

 

You won’t see this family choosing Southwest in the future.  I’ll pay for me seat assignment going forward.   No more random for me.   By the time the preboards, the families get on, there is no room for us.     Goodbye.   

3 REPLIES 3

Re: Early bird

bec102896
Aviator A

Sorry to hear you got a B boarding pass with the EB check in. The boarding positions vary by flight based on the number of A List members and the number of others who bought EB check in before you. I have seen some flights with 50 A Listers (I had B5 as an A Lister before). Also there is no limit to the number of EB check ins per flight so you could be the 30th person to buy it which means you would be the 30th person behind A Listers and Business select people 

 

if you want to discuss with customer relations you can call them at 855-234-4654 or email them from the southwest website 

 

hope this helps and hope you will give southwest another try in the future 

Blake

Re: Early bird

LindseyD
Retired Community Manager

Hi @bec102896,

 

I'm sorry to hear about this experience. As a couple other posters have mentioned, purchasing EarlyBird does not guarantee any particular seat, it simply guarantees that you will be checked in 36 hours before General Check-In begins. Many people choose this option so they don't have to worry about remembering to log on and check in right at the 24-hour mark. 

 

Still, we understand your disappointment, and we don't like knowing that you felt let down. Hopefully, this information clears our process up a bit and we'll have another opportunity to serve you in the future.

 

Re: Early bird

chgoflyer
Aviator A

@Sgmailmanwrote:

Furious beyond words!!!   I have flown Southwest for years but never again.  My husband has a blood disorder so I purchase early bird so that we may hopefully get exit row seating.   I am ready to go five minutes before the time of check in.    This trip we have been in the B group 53 and 54.   What is the purpose of Early Bird.   

 

You won’t see this family choosing Southwest in the future.  I’ll pay for me seat assignment going forward.   No more random for me.   By the time the preboards, the families get on, there is no room for us.     Goodbye.   


 

If your husband's disability requires a specific seat, you should speak to the gate agent regarding pre-boarding. (The exit row is not an option for pre-boarders, however.)

 

Once you've purchased EarlyBird Check-In, you no longer need to check in exactly at t-24 hours. That's the point of EarlyBird Check-In. 😉

 

EarlyBird Check-In checks you in automatically, it doesn't promise any specific boarding position (including the A group -- and it certainly doesn't guarantee an exit row). 

 

Your expectations may have been unrealistic, and your furiousness is unfounded.

 

Other carriers do offer assigned seating and upgrades (for a fee) that guarantee specific seats. Perhaps, as you suggest, you'd be better off on one of them.